What about hickory?

T

Tony Raven

Junior Member
Messages
51
I come from a seriously blue-collar Midwest family -- we does know our shovels. :icon_biggrin: There's some still in use older than me, & most have hickory shafts.

Hickory is supposed to be generally fine-grained & very resistant to warp & twist, great for axes & picks, which to my mind suggests it should also be great for guitar necks, if a little heavy. Yet I have NEVER seen it used as such.

I can get excellent 1" hickory billets from Youngblood Lumber in Minneapolis (even stop in & hand-pick it), so a two-piece is no problem. But the fact it apparently ain't been done gives me pause. Does anyone know why it's not more common?
 
I don't know about guitar necks, but it is a fantastic wood for martial arts weapons:

http://www.kingfisherwoodworks.com
 
Hickory has good numbers for stiffness and hardness. I don't know of any quantifiable units of stability, but I made a 1x12 combo cabinet out of it in college. As I ripped the planed lumber (to make a stable board thats wider than so big, it's common to rip them, flip one, then glue them up). The stuff came off the table saw looking like almost like metal turnings from a lathe, it warped and twisted so bad.
 
Tony Raven said:
I can get excellent 1" hickory billets from Youngblood Lumber in Minneapolis (even stop in & hand-pick it), so a two-piece is no problem. But the fact it apparently ain't been done gives me pause. Does anyone know why it's not more common?
Click to expand...

I had the same question some years back. Did a bunch of research, but can't remember exactly why Hickory doesn't fly. I think it had to do with its springiness. Absorbs too many interesting musical frequencies. For as hard and stiff as it is, it's a surprisingly dead wood musically. But, my memory fails me. It's an avenue to pursue, though, if you wanna research it more. All I remember is I'm done looking at it, which is good enough for me <grin>
 
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom said:
It might make a good body wood.  You'll see several body woods that don't translate well to good neck woods; pine, ash, alder, basswood, etc.
Click to expand...

Ash is actually a popular wood with the luthiers on TalkBass, for some reason. I've never understood why it would make a suitable neck wood, though. It certainly sounds like a poor choice, considering the nature of the grain structure.
 
line6man said:
Super Turbo Deluxe Custom said:
It might make a good body wood.  You'll see several body woods that don't translate well to good neck woods; pine, ash, alder, basswood, etc.
Click to expand...

Ash is actually a popular wood with the luthiers on TalkBass, for some reason. I've never understood why it would make a suitable neck wood, though. It certainly sounds like a poor choice, considering the nature of the grain structure.
Click to expand...

Exceptions, sure.  I won't be ordering a matchstick guitar or pouring a cement body anytime soon.
 
Black Dog said:
I know it sure makes some nice ribs  :icon_tongue: Yum Yum

Click to expand...
rofl.gif
 
Saw a thread about a custom guitar with (I believe...) a spruce neck, if I'm not mistaken. Really interesting! I always thought spruce was a medium/softer wood... I must have been wrong, or I don't think it would make a great neck wood. Either way, I'd be all for hickory!
 
I have seen Douglas Fir necks!! (and I want one!)

anyway, I am fairly sure I have seen hickory necks.. there is a builder in/near Austin who uses mainly Texas Woods..
I think it's the same guy who did the wormhole cypress body..
 
found it....

http://www.cardinalinstruments.com/available/

I can't find an actual example, but they list it as an option:

Solid body, 1-5/8" thick, Texas sourced woods (pecan, walnut, mesquite, cypress, osage, etc.)

Neck woods choices are pecan, walnut, osage, mesquite, maple, and hickory

Fretboard wood choices are Texas ebony, osage, maple and rosewood (several species available)

I'm not too crazy about their body shapes, but they sure use interesting woods! Spalted sycamore, mesquite, willow! I wonder where in texas ebony grows!
 
Marko said:
I wonder where in texas ebony grows!
Click to expand...

Very southern border, heading into Mexico. It's not really Ebony, that's just what they call it. It's not as hard or dense. The heartwood is darker, although not like real Ebony. More of a dark coffee brown. From what I found, it's grown more as a landscaping bush in arid areas rather than a tree you could harvest wood from, although they will eventually get big enough to produce useful pieces. I imagine it probably takes forever. Seems like it's mostly used to makes pens, game pieces, small tool handles - things of that nature.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top